Natural Lash Basics

The first part of lash education should always focus on the natural lash before you get into eyelash extensions. When I say natural lash I am referring to the actual lash attached to the lash line of of the eyelid.

Do you know what two things make up an eyelash? Natural eyelashes are made up of 3% water and 97% keratin protein. You may have heard keratin also mentioned when talking about hair or nails. Did you know that lashes also have a purpose? The purpose is to prevent any objects from getting into your eyes. Eyelash hairs are actually sensory hairs so if anything touches your natural lashes you will reflexively blink.

As you already know, you have upper and lower lashes. The upper lid will have 90-160 lashes while the bottom will only have 60-80 lashes. These lashes typically grow out to about 10mm (3/8 of an inch). After they get to this point, guess what happens? THEY SHED.

That’s right, your eyelashes are on a hair cycle just like the rest of the hair on your body. The lash cycle has 3 stages. The anagen stage is the growth stage. Lashes actively grow for 30-45 days where the lashes grow to a certain length and then stop. 40% of your upper lashes will go through this stage at one time, while only 15% of your lower lashes will be at this stage. The catagen stage is the transition stage. The lash stops growing in the follicle and the follicle shrinks. This stage lasts 2-3 weeks. The telogen stage is the last stage and is the resting stage. The lash falls out and restarts. This can take up to 100 days.

That means it takes your lashes 4-8 weeks to go through and fully replace a lash. Keep in mind that if you pull or rub a lash and it prematurely sheds, it will NOT restart your lash cycle. It continues until it is done with the cycle.

Did you know all about the natural lashes? Comment below and make sure you subscribe to colorpinscurls.com for monthly PDFs to get social about the lash lifestyle!